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Haha, so true. We hear about how "tough" DL's schemes are to learn...maybe we just have dumb players!

Just kidding, but yes we are all getting sick of the "veteran mentality" simply becuase the old familair faces simply aren't producing, or aren't relibale anymore, yet MT refuses to stick in the young blood. Give them playing time, they can't be much worse, especially on the d-line!

I think mthis is only partailly true the part that i agree with is they should let the rookies play but since we always pick 25 or worse talent is the issue .It is easier to find talented offensive players they are all over college but defensive gems are harder to find .but i agree they should sit keisel and use him as a back up or cut him or any of the older players POlamalu will be hard to replace.but he is not irreplaceable.i think he's going to to retire after this year anyways there is something different about his interviews.I know he's always been quiet but he seems disinterested almost bored this year

the sad thing is we are wasting the prime of big ben's career. we stuck with BA for far too long and the defense was still good enough to win most games for us, and now the offense can actually move the ball and the D can't stop anybody.

and the last few years, those stats are misleading. especially last season. while the D technically did it's job reducing the yards and points it wasn't actually going up against top notch QB talent:

the defensive problems are a nightmare from the top down:
Front office: refuses to go get the necessary pieces of the puzzle
Colbert: has not drafted well
Tomlin: sticks with shi**y vets over letting youngers guys get a shot
Lebeau: won't adjust to the talent that is around him. he's actually turning into the defensive BA. won't stick with what works and stays with things that don't....

"Today, I'm officially retiring a Pittsburgh Steeler. And as much as I will miss football, my teammates, coaches and everything about the game, I don't want to play it in any other uniform. The black and gold runs deep in me, and I will remain a Steeler for life."--Hines Ward

That's basically my point. Over say a 10 year period the defense has been amazing. Then after SBXL III things started to come apart with injuries, free agency, and what have you. I think this team just hung onto the vets far too long, trying to concentrate on other areas in drafting but too many of those players didn't pan out. Then Tomlin comes in, they get one last hurrah with the Cowher hangovers in XLIII and the trickle down effect started to really become apparent. By then Tomlin only had a couple drafts under his belt, and by in large he brought in good players. The lack of replacements for the quickly diminishing talent wasn't enough to balance out.

During the Cowher years and into the Tomlin years, the defense is no worse than top 4 as Larry pointed out. You could see, or atleast I could but maybe didn't want to realize it, that things were slowly started to fall off. DB's having issues covering, intermittent problems against the run, little things that were left undone until it was too late.

There is big talent now though so it's not like the future is grim completely: Woodley, McClendon, Harrison still, Heyward, Timmons along with up and comers like Spence, Allen, and Lewis. All I am saying is don't wait until the older vets are too far gone before you try and prepare for the future with something other than a 6th round pick.

Linebacker and running back are the two positions that a guy coming in from college is supposed to be able to come right in and play. Yet, we can't seem to infuse the LB corps with new blood the way we want to and need to.

There has to be a change in La Beau's philosophies going forward. But Tomlin is really showing me a lack of leadership. It's very obvious to everyone that La Beau is a man out of touch with what's going on around him.

I want to see new, young blood on all three levels of the defense next year. Give these kids some heavy reps in the summer and camp and get them in that starting lineup. Adding one young guy at every level on the defense isn't asking too much.